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20-year dental drop-out to full implants...why did I agree to this?

F

fabfemmeboy

Junior member
Joined
Sep 10, 2017
Messages
4
I'm K, a 32-year-old dentalphobe living in the SF Bay Area. I have always had problems going to the dentist - even from the time I was 5 or 6, I would gag horribly, even with the tiniest instruments/cleaning trays. In my case it's genetic; my dad gags as badly as I do. Unfortunately I also inherited something else from him: crazy soft teeth. He had a bridge appliance by the time he was about 30 and full dentures by 40. I stopped going to the dentist as soon as I was done at my pediatric dentist (about age 12), and even though I tried a couple times to get my teeth cleaned using oral sedation, it never worked. I just kept sobbing and apologizing while I gagged. Not useful to anyone.

From about age 19, my teeth have been steadily crumbling. They don't hurt much, if at all, and they aren't infected, but they look dreadful. The uppers in particular are chipped beyond repair. When I began my new job a year and a half ago, my boss started to gently mention that I needed to look into getting them fixed. I work with clients, as well as court officials, and I need to look professional and pulled-together, and hillbilly teeth really don't do that. I tried a few other options, like those one-piece veneer-ish covers, because those were more affordable, but it turned out that my teeth had rotted too much and were too crumbled along the gumline to be able to do those. I was really horribly demoralized, especially after having to do impressions multiple times to get to that point, so I went back into denial about how bad they were (and how much everyone else noticed how bad they were) for about a year.

This past May, my boss offered to pay to fix my teeth properly. I still can't get over that kind of generosity, it's an absurd amount of money and a huge investment. Unfortunately, that generosity did come with a price - I couldn't just ignore things anymore and had to start seriously figuring out what to do. Five doctors in four weeks. I only managed it because I forewarned all the dentists so most didn't try to poke around too far. Ultimately it came down to two treatment plans: restoring what was there with a series of root canals and caps and crowns, or extractions and implants. I didn't want to have everything pulled, but I know that what's there is just going to keep deteriorating over time.

So, on September 21, everything on the top of my mouth is getting pulled and I'm having all-on-4 teeth-in-a-day implants. I'm really confident in my dentist/oral surgeon (he's both sweet and a total perfectionist) as well as the whole team, but I'm still completely terrified. I'm scared of, in no particular order:
-excruciating pain
-painkillers
-waking up mid-way through surgery
-having the implants installed while I'm alert (and choking)
-not being able to eat in the short-term
-not being able to eat in the long-term
-not being able to speak clearly
-looking like the dogs in the dentastix commercial

At T-4.5 days, I've been scrolling through the forums and reading whatever I can to get a sense of timeframe. I am fortunate that my jawbone is strong and I don't need grafts, nor do I need zygomatics at this point. But any advice (or encouragement) you could give would be really helpful!
 
Hello :)

I don't know anything about implants etc really.. but wow! This is huge and well done for plucking up the courage to agree to it. Just keep thinking about the final outcome! You'll have beautiful teeth and no more pain/breaking teeth and one day the treatment will be a distant memory!

I know you'll still be scared no matter what anyone says but you can do it!

As for the surgery.. I had an extraction under general anaesthetic Monday and I was also worried about waking up or feeling the surgery mid way through.. but I don't even remember falling asleep and the next minute I was awake in recovery and felt fine. And the pain was really not bad and in comparison to tooth infection it was nothing!

You got this, embrace the offer and I'm sure they'll look after you xx
 
I'm K, a 32-year-old dentalphobe living in the SF Bay Area. I have always had problems going to the dentist - even from the time I was 5 or 6, I would gag horribly, even with the tiniest instruments/cleaning trays. In my case it's genetic; my dad gags as badly as I do. Unfortunately I also inherited something else from him: crazy soft teeth. He had a bridge appliance by the time he was about 30 and full dentures by 40. I stopped going to the dentist as soon as I was done at my pediatric dentist (about age 12), and even though I tried a couple times to get my teeth cleaned using oral sedation, it never worked. I just kept sobbing and apologizing while I gagged. Not useful to anyone.

From about age 19, my teeth have been steadily crumbling. They don't hurt much, if at all, and they aren't infected, but they look dreadful. The uppers in particular are chipped beyond repair. When I began my new job a year and a half ago, my boss started to gently mention that I needed to look into getting them fixed. I work with clients, as well as court officials, and I need to look professional and pulled-together, and hillbilly teeth really don't do that. I tried a few other options, like those one-piece veneer-ish covers, because those were more affordable, but it turned out that my teeth had rotted too much and were too crumbled along the gumline to be able to do those. I was really horribly demoralized, especially after having to do impressions multiple times to get to that point, so I went back into denial about how bad they were (and how much everyone else noticed how bad they were) for about a year.

This past May, my boss offered to pay to fix my teeth properly. I still can't get over that kind of generosity, it's an absurd amount of money and a huge investment. Unfortunately, that generosity did come with a price - I couldn't just ignore things anymore and had to start seriously figuring out what to do. Five doctors in four weeks. I only managed it because I forewarned all the dentists so most didn't try to poke around too far. Ultimately it came down to two treatment plans: restoring what was there with a series of root canals and caps and crowns, or extractions and implants. I didn't want to have everything pulled, but I know that what's there is just going to keep deteriorating over time.

So, on September 21, everything on the top of my mouth is getting pulled and I'm having all-on-4 teeth-in-a-day implants. I'm really confident in my dentist/oral surgeon (he's both sweet and a total perfectionist) as well as the whole team, but I'm still completely terrified. I'm scared of, in no particular order:
-excruciating pain
-painkillers
-waking up mid-way through surgery
-having the implants installed while I'm alert (and choking)
-not being able to eat in the short-term
-not being able to eat in the long-term
-not being able to speak clearly
-looking like the dogs in the dentastix commercial

At T-4.5 days, I've been scrolling through the forums and reading whatever I can to get a sense of timeframe. I am fortunate that my jawbone is strong and I don't need grafts, nor do I need zygomatics at this point. But any advice (or encouragement) you could give would be really helpful!

Hi,

I'm so happy I found this but I may have found it too late to talk to you about it. I'm having the same exact thing done TOMORROW difference only 6-8 implants on each arch plus bone grafting and sinus lifts. To say I'm out of my mind scared is an understatement. Thank God my dentist took mercy on me and gave me some Valium for tonight before bed and one for before my appointment because I don't even know how the hell my legs are going to walk into that office at this point.
 
Anxious.. definately keeping you in thoughts tomorrow!! Pleaes let us know how it goes! This is huge for you!! and brave! I know what you mean , anytime one of us walks through the door its HUGE... once we get there. then we can relax a little. Valium should help.. I haven't used for dental but I've thought about it. but used for other procedures.. my dr gives me a supply for each year to last me for when I have super stressful situations. I'm really temtpted to do it at my appointments but usually don't have anyone to drive me. so I can't. :(.

I hope all goes well1!!!
 
Hi,

I'm so happy I found this but I may have found it too late to talk to you about it. I'm having the same exact thing done TOMORROW difference only 6-8 implants on each arch plus bone grafting and sinus lifts. To say I'm out of my mind scared is an understatement. Thank God my dentist took mercy on me and gave me some Valium for tonight before bed and one for before my appointment because I don't even know how the hell my legs are going to walk into that office at this point.

Mine gave me Valium for the same reason. I think I've also kind of given over to the idea that yes, this giant thing is happening, even if I'm not thrilled by it - at this point I just want it to be over so I can start the next phase (getting used to speaking again and growing sick of smoothies/protein shakes!) instead of being terrified all the time. Good luck, I have my fingers crossed for you!
 
It is done and I did it!

Things didn't go very smoothly in surgery. A large part of the reason I was doing it all under general anesthesia rather than conscious sedation or something is that I have a horrible gag reflex. When I had surgery in the past, anesthesia successfully killed my gagging, and I expected it to be the same now. However, when they tried to intubate me at the beginning of my surgery, I started vomiting all over myself. The team immediately stopped and started waking me up because they were afraid I had aspirated it - that is, gotten it into my lungs. All I knew was that I was in some pain but all my original teeth were still there. The only other part I remember is pleading with them to just finish it all because I couldn't take another week of waiting! Besides, starting another day wouldn't change how likely I was to gag or not. They kept a close eye on my pulse-ox (which was 100 - better than usual for a good day!) and breathing sounds, and once I was coherent enough that they knew I understood what they were saying and the risks involved, they agreed to proceed with an additional anesthetic that would put me under.

The next time I woke up, my teeth were gone and the temporary bridge was in place. Thank god for that!

Apparently it was harder to place the bridge with me out than they expected, and it was driving my perfectionist dentist nuts. I have to go back sometime next week to get it all adjusted. Right now it is definitely a little lopsided relative to my bite. There is also a lot more flashing around the edges than I expected for an all-on-4. I'm not sure if that part will stay the whole time, or if it's only until they can adjust the bridge to sit more flush with the gumline.

With all of that being said: ultimately it was a success. I've been napping almost continuously since surgery, but I'm not in much pain at all (knock wood), even taking less of the pain medication than was prescribed. It's awkward to talk and very awkward to eat because my lips are still swollen, but it's getting easier already. I'm hoping that after the adjustment this week, it will feel less like I'm wearing a giant mouthguard, but we'll see. It's a process, that's for sure, but so far not a painful one - occasional very mild discomfort where the screws were placed, and general tightness of my lips and throat.

And at least the first step is DONE! What a relief!
 
It is done and I did it!

Things didn't go very smoothly in surgery. A large part of the reason I was doing it all under general anesthesia rather than conscious sedation or something is that I have a horrible gag reflex. When I had surgery in the past, anesthesia successfully killed my gagging, and I expected it to be the same now. However, when they tried to intubate me at the beginning of my surgery, I started vomiting all over myself. The team immediately stopped and started waking me up because they were afraid I had aspirated it - that is, gotten it into my lungs. All I knew was that I was in some pain but all my original teeth were still there. The only other part I remember is pleading with them to just finish it all because I couldn't take another week of waiting! Besides, starting another day wouldn't change how likely I was to gag or not. They kept a close eye on my pulse-ox (which was 100 - better than usual for a good day!) and breathing sounds, and once I was coherent enough that they knew I understood what they were saying and the risks involved, they agreed to proceed with an additional anesthetic that would put me under.

The next time I woke up, my teeth were gone and the temporary bridge was in place. Thank god for that!

Apparently it was harder to place the bridge with me out than they expected, and it was driving my perfectionist dentist nuts. I have to go back sometime next week to get it all adjusted. Right now it is definitely a little lopsided relative to my bite. There is also a lot more flashing around the edges than I expected for an all-on-4. I'm not sure if that part will stay the whole time, or if it's only until they can adjust the bridge to sit more flush with the gumline.

With all of that being said: ultimately it was a success. I've been napping almost continuously since surgery, but I'm not in much pain at all (knock wood), even taking less of the pain medication than was prescribed. It's awkward to talk and very awkward to eat because my lips are still swollen, but it's getting easier already. I'm hoping that after the adjustment this week, it will feel less like I'm wearing a giant mouthguard, but we'll see. It's a process, that's for sure, but so far not a painful one - occasional very mild discomfort where the screws were placed, and general tightness of my lips and throat.

And at least the first step is DONE! What a relief!

Congratulations to my war buddy, you made it through! I actually ended up going through with mine too somehow and it wasn't as horrifying as I anticipated, although less than ideal. I woke a little here and there through the procedure and felt pain and had to ask for more local. I asked the dentist about that today at my follow up and he said that there's no real way to prevent that from happening, as the Sedation only goes in short intervals and they need to keep topping it off.

I didn't have any implants put in this go around because the bone grafting need was too extensive. So he packed my jaws full after extracting what was left of my teeth and stitched me up. I won't lie the first few days were hell pain wise, but it's slowly gotten tolerable and I can control it with ibuprofen and Tylenol. I have a slight black and blue mark on my left lower cheek which I'm not thrilled about, but it's fading at least and the swelling has just about gone down too.

Today's follow up he had to restitch the bottom some because it had gotten loose. I took a few shots of local and got stitched wide awake in the chair even though I was scared shitless and had to hold the dental assistants hands. Amazing that anything in the dentist chair can scare me after half for all my teeth removed. I have an upper denture to prevent me from looking like a hag at 41 and nothing on bottom for now which has made eating a challenge to say the very least. I have had a few meltdowns but I'm trying hard not to feel sorry for myself and remind myself this will be a good thing. Thank you for being supportive. How are you healing?
 
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